COBOURG -- The new $20 bill is not getting rave reviews from some local residents.

The $20 polymer bank note went into circulation across the country on Nov. 7. It is the third Canadian polymer note to enter circulation, with $50 and $100 notes already in use, said Jennifer Cosenzo, currency awareness and education team, Bank of Canada. The $20 note is the most popular denomination, accounting for about half of all bank notes circulating in Canada, she added.

Northumberland residents have started to see the note in recent weeks. Cobourg resident Jessica Daignault said she just got a bill for the first time on Dec. 17.

"They look like fake money to me," she said.

Vickie Skinner thinks the bills are too thin and heard they melt at high temperatures.

"They are absolutely terrible," said Ms. Skinner.

While Ms. Skinner understands the notes are more difficult to counterfeit, she believes people will find a way to copy the bills in the future.

"Eventually a smart person will figure it out," she said.

Michelle Scott worries the bills won't work in change or vending machines but she does like the design of the bill.

The Bank of Canada choose polymer notes over cotton-paper money for security reasons, said Ms. Cosenzo. The most important reason for a central bank to re-design notes is to help stay ahead of counterfeiting. The polymer series is the most secure series of bank notes ever issued by the Bank of Canada, she said. The new notes have innovative security features, including a unique combination of transparency and complex holography. They expand the frontiers of bank note security, as they are the most advanced ever issued in Canada and among the most secure in the world, said Ms. Cosenzo.

Polymer is a durable film specifically designed for bank notes, she said. The bills will last at least two-and-a-half times longer than paper notes. They will also have a reduced environmental impact, as fewer notes will need to be manufactured and transported over the life of the series, she added.

The Bank of Canada conducted extensive and rigorous testing of the new polymer notes prior to issuing them. They were tested in extremely cold temperatures (-75 C) and extremely hot (140 C) temperatures. They do not melt under normal circulating conditions. Polymer bank notes have been used in many other countries which have climates far hotter than Canada, such as Australia, Mexico and Singapore.

While polymer notes are durable, they are not indestructible and should be handled with a bit of care, said Ms. Cosenzo. All notes, paper or polymer, are best kept flat, not folded, she said. To help keep your polymer notes in topnotch condition, don't crease, crumple or staple them. But if you come across crumpled or creased notes, flatten them by applying pressure or by curling them in your hand.

They look like fake money to me. - Cobourg residen

Karen Longwell is a photographer/reporter for the Northumberland News.